The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Opinion

Stokes, Woakes and Foakes: Why England should dump Buttler

Roar Guru
21st December, 2021
Advertisement
Should Ben Foakes take the gloves off Jos Buttler this Ashes series? (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
21st December, 2021
41
1312 Reads

Despite his defiant innings in Adelaide, England keeper Jos Buttler should be dropped for the third Test in Melbourne.

Here’s why.

Buttler’s keeping has simply not been up to scratch so far in this series, dropping a couple of regulation catches at key points during the second Test.

His two dropped efforts off Marnus Labuschagne, when the eccentric Queenslander was well established, looked like something you’d see in the lower reaches of sub-district cricket in Brisbane rather than that of a Test wicketkeeper.

He partially made up for this later in the Test by taking a couple of screamers, leaving a rather confusing overall display of his abilities.

Buttler has a fearsome reputation with the bat for England in limited-overs cricket, where essential wicketkeeping skills are not as important.

Jos Buttler

(Photo by Michael Steele-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

However, attempts to translate these coloured-clothing blitzes into the Cinch-sponsored whites of the English Test side have only been partially more successful than Australia’s ill-fated attempt to turn Mitch Marsh into a Test all-rounder.

Advertisement

There have been moments of glory, like his recall in the 2018 home series against India, where he played a pivotal role with the bat in a 3-1 series win.

A career-high score in a record partnership of 359 with the now-discarded Zak Crawley in Southampton in 2020 helped grind a young Pakistan bowling attack into the turf.

Since that time though, Buttler has not passed 55 in a Test, and the English media are starting to ask questions.

Ian Chappell, a commentator who has been roundly critical of English captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood’s tactics and selections this series, believes that the best man for the job of wicketkeeper is currently on the sidelines.

Current England Lions keeper Ben Foakes is a man who has been described by his county coach Alec Stewart as “the best keeper in the world”.

I watched Foakes play at the Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane last week.

Advertisement

He is very tidy with the gloves, and has a solid defensive technique with the bat, with which he played the Australian A quicks very competently to 73 before rather unfortunately letting his guard down against part-time bowler Matt Renshaw.

Ben Foakes

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

His Test average of 31 is only a couple of runs short of compatriots Jonny Bairstow and Buttler, and he has a Test century to his name.

Some may say that dropping a player such as Buttler after such a fine stonewalling effort would be harsh, and it is definitely a line-ball decision.

But the same could be said of the end to the career of Australian keeper Peter Nevill, who played a fine unbeaten knock of 60 off 153 balls to save a Test against South Africa before being dropped two Tests later.

It can be very hard to compare keepers using statistics, but one rough measure might be stumpings.

Buttler has just three in his first-class career for England, Lancashire and Somerset. Foakes has 29 for Surrey and England. Bairstow has 24 over a longer career for England and Yorkshire.

Advertisement

What do you think, Roarers? Are there any other changes you would make if you were an English selector?

close